-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- design007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueSignal Integrity
If you don’t have signal integrity problems now, you will eventually. This month, our expert contributors share a variety of SI techniques that can help designers avoid ground bounce, crosstalk, parasitic issues, and much more.
Proper Floor Planning
Floor planning decisions can make or break performance, manufacturability, and timelines. This month’s contributors weigh in with their best practices for proper floor planning and specific strategies to get it right.
Showing Some Constraint
A strong design constraint strategy carefully balances a wide range of electrical and manufacturing trade-offs. This month, we explore the key requirements, common challenges, and best practices behind building an effective constraint strategy.
- Articles
- Columns
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - design007 Magazine
Design for Cost in Real-time
April 24, 2023 | Paul Carpine, Siemens Digital Industries SoftwareEstimated reading time: 1 minute

When do you first start thinking about the selling price of your new product? It’s impossible to avoid the question of what the price will be. The worst answer is: “I don’t know, let’s see after the first samples.”
Let’s say the product’s selling price is $49; then the manufacturing cost will be $20. During each design change, the manufacturing cost should be recalculated to make sure the product is still competitive. This means you should involve people from both the development and cost calculation teams. This circle will be repeated until the final design is released, and the final calculation is done. Of course, if a small design change with “no impact for production” is not sent for evaluation, this is already a risk.
What if we had a software that was able to recalculate the price of the product in real-time during the design? What if we had something implemented into the design tool that was able to understand the change and recalculate the manufacturing price?
It is hard to find a product without a PCBA inside, and calculating the manufacturing cost for this component is not easy. It can be made in the beginning of the project based on several inputs, but what factors should you consider when you start the design? These same factors should be implemented inside this magic cost calculation software.
The cost calculation activity is irritating when your focus is hardware development and/or layout design. How do you evaluate whether a small change will increase a PCBA’s final cost? Here, I list the most important factors in the design that can impact the manufacturing cost.
The first way to keep the cost low is to use a surface mount device (SMD). Electronics manufacturing production is expensive, and each surface and machine should be utilized efficiently. Having only SMDs in your design means it is not necessary to use another line just for the through-hole devices (THDs). This will save time in production and will reduce the risk of quality issues. The SMDs are placed by the pick-and-place machine and soldered in the reflow oven, but for THDs, the process is very time consuming.
To read this entire article, which appeared in the April 2023 issue of Design007 Magazine, click here.
SPONSORED LINK
Testimonial
"Our marketing partnership with I-Connect007 is already delivering. Just a day after our press release went live, we received a direct inquiry about our updated products!"
Rachael Temple - AlltematedSuggested Items
I-Connect007 Launches Advanced Electronics Packaging Digest
09/15/2025 | I-Connect007I-Connect007 is pleased to announce the launch of Advanced Electronics Packaging Digest (AEPD), a new monthly digital newsletter dedicated to one of the most critical and rapidly evolving areas of electronics manufacturing: advanced packaging at the interconnect level.
ICAPE Group Unveils Exclusive Report on Sustainability in Electronics Manufacturing
09/15/2025 | ICAPE GroupICAPE Group, a global leader in printed circuit boards (PCBs) and custom electronics manufacturing, today announces the launch of its 2025 Industry Outlook & Innovation Report: Sustainability in Electronics Manufacturing. This exclusive report is accompanied by fresh insights from a dedicated Statista survey of 100 electronics manufacturing professionals, commissioned by ICAPE Group.
Panasonic Industry will Double the Production Capacity of MEGTRON Multi-layer Circuit Board Materials Over the Next Five Years
09/15/2025 | Panasonic Industry Co., Ltd.Panasonic Industry Co., Ltd., a Panasonic Group company, announced plans for a major expansion of its global production capacity for MEGTRON multi-layer circuit board materials today. The company plans to double its production over the next five years to meet growing demand in the AI server and ICT infrastructure markets.
Sustainability and Selective Soldering
09/15/2025 | Dr. Samuel J. McMaster, Pillarhouse InternationalSustainability is more than just a buzzword for the electronics industry; it’s a key goal for all manufacturing processes. This is more than a box-ticking exercise or simply doing a small part for environmentally friendly processes. Moving toward sustainable solutions drives innovation and operational efficiency.
ASM Technologies Limited signs MoU with the Guidance, Government of Tamilnadu to Expand Design-Led Manufacturing capabilities for ESDM
09/15/2025 | ASM TechnologiesASM Technologies Limited, a pioneer in Design- Led Manufacturing in the semiconductor and automotive industries, announced signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Guidance, Government of Tamilnadu whereby it will invest Rs. 250 crores in the state to expand its ESDM related Design-Led Manufacturing and precision engineering capacity. ASM Technologies will acquire 5 acres of land from the Government of Tamilnadu to set up a state-of-the-art design facility in Tamil Nadu's growing technology manufacturing ecosystem, providing a strong strategic advantage and long-term benefits for ASM.